Our fresh water and oceans are being polluted, soils are eroding, rivers are running dry, wetlands are disappearing, fisheries are collapsing, rangelands are deteriorating, temperatures are rising, coral reefs are dying, and not since a meteor hit the Earth 65 million years ago have so many species of plants and animals become extinct in such a short time.

How did we get to this point?

Quite simply, by making the same mistakes as that industrialist did by building his short smokestacks. With the ever increasing population and the constant need to tap into our planet’s non renewable resources, we are quite frankly creating our own scenario for disaster.

The problem is we are pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than the land and seas can absorb it, the accumulating gas is trapping heat and upsetting the world’s climate …

I urge individuals around the world to stand up, and ask local leaders, if they haven’t already, to pledge to purchase cleaner cars, build green facilities, and buy green power like wind or solar energy. Our actions may determine if we become a casualty in the war for a habitable planet for generations to come.

A slew of celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx, flew into Sydney on Friday reportedly as part of their plan to welcome in the new year in the city before catching light planes to Canberra Airport, then boarding a private jet to Las Vegas for a second tilt at revelry …

‘’They’ll be coming into Canberra on light planes, which are allowed to fly out of Sydney, then they’ll get on their big jet in Canberra and fly off to their next destination,’’ [an airport spokeswoman] said.